MEDINA, Ohio -- A Medina County judge today denied a request from the Nexus Gas Transmission Co. to survey the land of 39 county property owners in the path of a proposed 255-mile pipeline.

Medina County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Collier denied the company's second request that would have forced residents to allow workers on their property.

Judge Collier said he had previously ruled that Nexus had the right to enter properties to conduct a survey. That ruling has been appealed to the Ninth District Court of Appeals.

While the appeal was pending, Nexus filed another request to allow them on properties, this time, to mainly to look for the bats, sensitive wetlands and historic sites. But while they were there, workers would also survey the land in the pipeline's path. Landowners accused the company of "trying to do an end run" around the legal process.

In his decision this afternoon, Collier denied the latest motion pending the outcome of the case before the court of appeals.

"The interest of the public would best be served by having the appellate court determine the issue of whether Nexus is statutorily permitted to conduct survey activities on properties along its proposed pipeline route without first obtaining landowner permission," the ruling said.

Nexus Gas Transmission wants to construct a 255-mile natural gas pipeline from Kensington in eastern Ohio to a gas storage facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The gas will then be funneled into existing pipelines and sent to the Dawn Hub storage facility in western Ontario for sale in Canada. The company said that some of the gas will be used by Ohio businesses.

The residents oppose any intrusion by Nexus Gas Transmission on their land.

At a hearing last week, residents told Collier they resented the "heavy-handed tactics" used by the company to convince them to allow surveyors on their land. One woman said she was traumatized by the experience and broke down and cried as she testified.

Greg Huber, lawyer for the landowners, said the residents each received letters from the company demanding they allow the surveyors on their land. He said the final letter told landowners if they did not agree, the company would send surveyors onto their property anyway.

He said the landowners particularly were alarmed when Nexus representatives arrived at their homes accompanied by a man who had a gun.

"These were people who repeatedly said they did not want surveyors on their land," Huber said.